Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Talking with author Kelli A. Wilkins

Today I’m sharing part two of an “inside look” at the making of my new
historical western romance, Lies, Love & Redemption. In the
first blog, I talked about how the book came to be and discussed the research
involved in writing a historical romance. Today, I’ll explore the characters
and touch on another subject—realism.

The book opens with Sam, the hero, bleeding from gunshot wounds and
stumbling across the prairie. He’s wondering if he is already dead and
suffering in hell for what he has done in the past.

This gives readers initial insight into Sam. Right from the start, we know
he has done something that he feels guilty about, and he is harboring secrets.
We also see that Sam is stubborn and not the type of man to give up easily.

When readers meet Cassie in her store, they see that she works hard trying to
make her store successful. But they also see her going through the motions and
wondering why she bothers.

Each character is at a cross-roads, and everything is about to change for
them. As the book progresses, we learn that Cassie is headstrong, stubborn, and
not the type to take guff from Sam or the people in town. She’s running a store
all by herself and doesn’t like to accept help or rely on anyone.

I contrasted Cassie’s independent nature with a secret vulnerability. The
consequences of a failed relationship left Cassie emotionally fragile and
broken. She says she’s not afraid of anything, but later we learn that’s not
true. Deep down, she fears losing the store. She’s also afraid of falling in love
with Sam, only to lose him. Cassie has experienced many losses in her life, and
she is hesitant to open her heart and trust anyone.

Sam is a
noble man who feels he has a debt to pay and a duty to watch over Cassie, and
this leads to conflict between them. She doesn’t want to admit that she needs
his help, and he is being overprotective of her (or so she thinks…).

Although
Sam comes across as honest and open, readers quickly discover that Sam is keeping
his past a secret and is hiding his true identity—and much more—from everyone.
Sam is a troubled soul who has also experienced a lot of loss in his life.
Without giving too much away, readers learn that Sam lost someone very
important to him through an act of violence, and he’s set on getting his
revenge—and that’s not pretty.

This leads
me to my next topic—realism. Before I sat down to write, I did a lot of
research about general stores, what life was like in the 1870s, etc., and I
learned that life back then was very difficult and much different from how we
live today.

People
died of infections, diseases, and all sorts of other ailments, and there was
the threat of violence to consider. The west was known for being “lawless” and
some people took advantage of the fact that you could practically do whatever
you wanted. (If you really want to
see how gritty and brutal life was like back then, watch the TV show Deadwood. You’ll see gunfights, murders,
robberies, hangings, and other acts of aggression that were all-too-common in
that era.)

Life for
anyone in the “wild” west was tough. Combine that with the fact that women
virtually were the property of their husbands and had no rights, and you have
the makings for pretty rough times for women.

I incorporated
a few of these elements into Lies, Love
& Redemption. How could I not? The setting and time period have to be realistically
represented in the book. Although readers might take issue with including
violence in a romance, it has a place in the story (to a degree).

If
everything was too perfect or too pretty, the book would lose the
richness in details that bring it—and the characters—to life.

Having Sam
face the threat of a potentially lethal infection, Cassie trying to help a
woman escape a violent marriage, and Sam admitting the horrific truth of his
past, all work together to give the book an authentic feel.

And part
of an author’s job (especially when writing historical romances) is to let
readers live the story through the eyes and experiences of the characters. One
thing authors are told is to make life difficult for your hero and heroine. If there
is no conflict or drama, the story becomes dull, and the characters have
nothing to strive for and don’t grow.

Yes, I may
have put Sam and Cassie (and a few other characters) through an emotional
wringer, and yes, they had to face violent situations, but they’re strong and
their challenges built up their resilience.

And of
course, as in any romance, it all worked out happily-ever-after.

Here’s the
summary and a brief excerpt:

Lies,
Love & Redemption

Shot and left for dead, Sam Hixton stumbles into a general store on the
Nebraska prairie and collapses into the arms of Cassie Wilcox.

Cassie’s world is turned upside down when the handsome stranger drops into
her life. Sam is another complication she doesn’t need: her business is dying
and her trouble with the townspeople is escalating. Yet she’s determined to
keep the store open — no matter what the cost.

As Sam recovers from his injuries, he hides the truth about his identity and
convinces Cassie to let him work in the store. He’s attracted to her and
admires her independent nature but quickly realizes Cassie’s in way over her
head. They fight their growing attraction, and Cassie questions whether she can
trust her fragile heart to a mysterious stranger. Will he accept her once
he knows about her troubled past?

Cassie resists Sam’s advances and represses her feelings until one fateful
night when they give in to their fiery passion. Together, they work out a plan
to save the store but find their efforts are thwarted—and their lives
endangered—by the locals.

Sam’s secret returns to haunt him and pulls him away just when Cassie needs
him the most. Will he regain her trust when she learns the truth?

Cassie has everything invested in the store—can she save it and find true
love with Sam before it’s too late?

***

An
Excerpt:

“I hate to tell you this, but you have a
big problem.”

Sam broke off a chunk of bread and dipped
it into the chicken broth. “Honey, I’ve got a lot of problems, starting with
the fact that I got shot and nearly died. What else do I have to worry about?”

“A man who stands about six foot six.”

His heart skipped a beat. “Shit. Tell me
it’s not your husband.”

“No.” Cassie laughed. “Luke, the sheriff.
He was here this afternoon asking questions about you. Holloway’s a small town.
Everyone knows everyone else’s business. Folks are bound to be curious when a
shot-up stranger wanders into the only store, bleeding to death.”

He slurped more soup.

“Luke thinks you’re wanted, an outlaw,
or… I don’t know, whatever he can dream up that might get him a reward.”

“I’m not wanted.” He gazed into Cassie’s brown
eyes. “I know you have no reason to believe me, but I haven’t done anything
wrong.”

“Luke will be back tomorrow morning, and
he’s determined to talk to you. He’s gonna ask how you got here and who shot
you. I don’t care what you tell him.” She rose and uncorked the bottle of medicine
on the tray. “Drink this.”

“Doc left two?”

“No. This is something different. I took
this off the shelf downstairs.”

“Won’t you get in trouble with your
boss?”

Cassie chuckled. “Nope. I am the boss. It’s my store. I can take
what I want.”

“Oh.” That was unusual. Most women
couldn’t handle the responsibility of running a business. How had Cassie come
to own a store?

“What’s in it?” he said, eyeing the
bottle warily. Patent medicines, or snake oil treatments, often made you feel
worse than if you took nothing at all. They were full of arsenic, turpentine,
or kerosene. “I don’t take well to these medicinal potions.”

“And I don’t regularly offer them, but
this should dull the pain.” She poured a spoonful of the amber liquid and held
it out. “Open up.”

He was about to argue, then thought
better of it. If this poison helped him sleep, he’d be content with that much,
at least. “Couldn’t I have whiskey?”

Cassie grinned. “This concoction is about
three-quarters whiskey. That’s why I keep it on the shelf.”

He gulped the medicine down, and his eyes
watered. “It sure burns like whiskey,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Good. Now that you’ve had food and
medicine, I’ll let you sleep.” Cassie set a glass of water on the side table
and headed for the door. “I’ll come back for the tray in an hour. Try to rest.
Luke will aim to catch you muddle-headed in the morning. I told him you were
still unconscious.”

“Why did you lie?”

“I figured you could use the time to get
your story straight. Luke’s nosy, like everyone else in this damn town. We
don’t get strangers coming through here, so you’re a curiosity. People are
going to be suspicious of you.”

He nodded, grateful for the warning. The
less Cassie and the other townsfolk knew about him and his past, the better.

I hope you enjoyed this inside look at the making of Lies, Love & Redemption. I welcome
comments and questions from readers. Be sure to follow my blog for the latest
updates and visit me on social media!

Happy Reading,

Kelli A. Wilkins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who
has published 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books.
Her romances span many genres and heat levels.

In 2016 Kelli began re-releasing her romances
previously published by Amber Quill Press. Visit her website and blog for a
full title list, book summaries, and other information. Kelli’s third Medallion
Press historical romance, Lies, Love & Redemption, was
released in September 2016.

Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A
Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative
non-fiction guide based on her 15 years of experience as a writer. It’s filled
with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.

If you like to be scared, check out Kelli’s
horror ebooks: Dead Til Dawn and Kropsy’s Curse.